Hanna Boys Center counselor Kevin Thorpe sentenced to 21 years in prison for molesting boys

Kevin Scott Thorpe, whose predatory conduct as a youth counselor at Hanna Boys Center nearly cost the 73-year-old institution its license last winter, was sentenced to 21 years in prison Tuesday for molesting four victims.

Thorpe, first jailed in June 2017, sat expressionless in the jury box as Judge Dana Simonds pronounced a prison term agreed to by attorneys when the 40-year-old father of two pleaded no contest to 11 criminal counts last June.

But there were tears in the courtroom as the mother of one young victim - a family friend of Thorpe, unrelated to the Hanna center - spoke at length about the betrayal of trust, the trauma inflicted upon her son and his entire family, and “the shame I felt at having let this monster into our home and into the heart of our precious son.”

Another victim, in a letter read by a Sonoma County victim advocate, talked of his continual battle with darkness and his conflicting emotions over having been the first person to come forward and reveal Thorpe’s predilection for adolescent boys.

“You follow me like a shadow I can’t escape, and I always feel your presence,” wrote the now 25-year-old Hanna Boys Center graduate, known in court as John Doe 1. “Because of this, I can’t find joy in life anymore without these thoughts ruining it. Sometimes I contemplate suicide. You didn’t just sexually abuse me. You groomed me to believe it was my fault.”

A 14-year employee of the Sonoma Valley residential treatment center before he was fired last year, Thorpe worked as a counselor and, later, as clinical director, having contact with scores of vulnerable boys throughout his tenure.

The state licensing agency, which considered yanking the facility’s license last winter due in part to lax rules and supervision that permitted Thorpe to abuse victims in his office and take them off campus to his home, has indicated at least seven Hanna residents were molested by Thorpe.

Hanna made a variety of physical and operational changes to prevent abuse in the future, prompting state regulators to halt license revocation proceedings.

Pattern of abuse

Three Hanna clients became part of the criminal case, the subject of felony charges dating back to 2007 when newly arrived John Doe 1, then 13, was put on Thorpe’s case load.

It wasn’t long before he was invited to view pornography and masturbate in his counselor’s office, he testified in court last May.

Breaking down repeatedly on the witness stand, John Doe 1 described behavior that escalated to mutual masturbation, touching and oral sex.

The victim, whose mother was a drug addict and whose father, a violent man, was in prison, described finding refuge and stability at Hanna Boys Center.

He said Thorpe made it clear he would likely be “kicked out” if anyone learned of their relationship.

Two other victims from Hanna, one of whom is John Doe 1’s brother, detailed complicated relationships that progressed in a similar manner, saying they felt Thorpe cared but that their presence at the treatment center would be at risk if they exposed him.

“It is painful to me to think that you knew my background and you still took advantage of me,” John Doe 1 said in the letter read aloud in court. “You preyed on a kid who was already hurting, and you didn’t care a single bit. You are a monster disguised as a human.”

The fourth and most recent victim, known as John Doe 4, knew Thorpe through shared community.

That young man, now 18, was 16 when Thorpe befriended him over the telling of a salacious joke.

Though Thorpe was arrested before his conduct escalated to the point described by other victims, John Doe 4 nonetheless found himself nude with Thorpe on at least four occasions.

They included one time where Thorpe touched his penis at the beach, another where they took a shower in Thorpe’s home with at least one of his young daughters, and a third in which the youth awakened to find Thorpe on top of him, naked, their teeth touching, according to court testimony.

In total, Thorpe initially faced trial on 64 criminal counts, but in June agreed to plead no contest to just 11 in exchange for a reduced prison term.

At the time, District Attorney Jill Ravitch said the agreement reflected the sometimes difficult task of persuading jurors that a person can be coerced into enduring sexual abuse through emotional force and a power differential without evidence of physical force.

Written rebuke

In the 23-page statement she read to the court Tuesday, the mother of John Doe 4 chastised Ravitch and the case prosecutor, Andrew Lukas, for underestimating jurors and their own eloquence in explaining the case. As a result, the woman said, Thorpe could eventually be released from prison and in a position to victimize others.

“Ms. District Attorney, don’t sell yourself short,” she said.

“Jurors are smart. You and Mr. Lukas are smarter. You would have won walking away.”

The mother, whose name is being withheld by The Press Democrat to protect the identity of her son, also recounted her family’s continuing challenge to come to grips with what has happened, to fight the tendency for self-blame and to understand where culpability really lies.

She described looking at her son’s victimization “through the clear lens of 20/20 hindsight until we were nearly stark raving mad,” and said she had struggled to find room for forgiveness when her faith demands it of her.

She also referenced watching her son become depressed and anxious, lose weight and lose ground in school, and lose interest in activities that previously brought him joy.

“We are aware that sexual abuse significantly increases the risk of developing health and social problems, such as drug and alcohol abuse, mental illness and marital strife, in both men and women,” she said.

“While the court will pass judgment and impose a sentence on the defendant today, the jury is still out on the long-term consequences for his victims.”

Reduced sentence

Thorpe, who already has spent a year in custody, may only serve 80 percent of his prison term before his release, but will have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

His attorney, Joe Stogner, reinforced in court Tuesday his belief that his client appreciates the profound pain and trauma he has caused and is working to understand his behavior and correct it.

In his own letter to the court, Thorpe described how deeply he regrets his conduct and said he was grateful that his first accuser, John Doe 1, opened the door to recovery.

“This needed to happen,” he wrote.

“I feel horrible for the pain my actions have caused the victims. I am also aware that there are others who have been negatively impacted by my crimes. Every day I feel anger and frustration at myself for what I have done and the people I have hurt,” he wrote.

John Doe’s 4’s mother rebuked Stogner for trusting a man who already has fooled so many about his true nature, posing as “a model citizen.”

“He did not have ‘pedophile’ written on his name tag,” she said. “He was not the dangerous stranger I had described to my children. He was a close family friend who was invited into our home.”

In his own statement, John Doe 1 said he feared “I can never have a normal life like I’ve yearned for since I was a kid.”

“I hope that one day all of this is behind me, but I have yet to see it,” he wrote.

“Even though you’re getting 20 years, I believe you still have it easier than me. Your actions will only affect you for 20 years, but for me and the other victims, your actions will affect forever.”

You can reach Staff Writer Mary Callahan at 707-521-5249 or mary.callahan@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @MaryCallahanB.